Echo's of the Past
by crystalizationprocess
Summary: As Chloe and Max are on their way to living their new life after the disaster at Arcadia Bay, both soon realize the repercussions of their actions.


It was roughly 1 year ago since they had drove out of the wreckage that used to be their home. Both Chloe and Max had their names added to the endless sea of missing persons. News reporters marked the anniversary, and scientists had made permanent residence since the event. No explanation was presented to explain the tornado or the strange events that led up to the towns ultimate end. Conspiracists believed that the government had learned how to control the weather and were creating chaos to bring people together for the upcoming presidential election. Others raved of seeing aliens that night drop out of the sky that caused the storm. In truth only 3 people knew the full story and only 2 walked away to tell about it. Not many stayed to rebuild, but those who did found little peace and quiet. The town itself was being remodeled, mainly funded by Red Cross and other organizations that had swept in to help.

Only 2 buildings had survived enough with little damage; a small diner called the 2 whales diner and a school. Joyce Madson, who had once struggled in life now found a new purpose. Not only was the 2 whales successful and intact, but with all the publicity and only restaurant left she was living comfortably with her husband David. David who had been security for the school received multiple awards of valor for his actions during and after the storm. The arrest of Mark Jefferson had been David's biggest accomplishment on top of the lives of Arcadia Bay that he saved. Since the principle and most of the staff of Blackwell did not survive David was now principle of Blackwell. A town that was once ruled by the tyranny of the Prescott's was now placed in the hands of this driving force power couple. David who had previously been seen as a bully now found a certain humbleness and more thoughtful way of living. Joyce, having lost her only daughter, was stronger than ever and truly believed Chloe was alive somewhere. She had been on the news dozens of times looking for her. Getting her picture posted everywhere and asking if anyone had seen her daughter. Memorials had been set up near the diner and support group centers were a common site in Arcadia Bay. Mr. Marsh had moved the rest of his family to the town and had opened up a church to help guide survivors and provide much needed spirituality. An orange unexplainable glow had set over Arcadia Bay but as time passed it slowly started to look almost habitable.

Chloe quickly wiped the wetness from her face and turned off the small tv that barely fit on the kitchen counter. She was alone in the hotel room and this was the first time she had seen her mom in a year. She had avoided, on purpose, the news surrounding Arcadia Bay but thought that enough time had passed that she could finally check in and see what was going on. The news special was 60 minutes long and she had made it until Joyce was interviewed before she couldn't keep it in anymore. The guilt had started to feel unbearable the last 6 months and now it seemed as if a car was sitting on her chest.

She grabbed a pillow, sketch pad and pen, and 2 sampler spirits from the mini fridge and plopped herself in the empty bath tub. She often sat here while Max was out. Max would be gone for at least 2 more hours. The rest of the room was dirty and outdated but the bathroom was newly remodeled. She liked looking at the clean white porcelain. The walls were thicker and drowned out the hustle and bustle of the highway which was a spit away from the hotel. Chloe felt peaceful and more importantly, like she could think. After downing the first bottle she thumbed through the pages of her sketch book. It was a mixture of words and pictures. For weeks now Chloe had been having strange dreams, flash backs, and worse black outs. Max called them "echoes" of events in time she had re winded, possibly memories of things that had happened to a different version of Chloe that this Chloe was remembering. All of it made her head spin, so she drew and wrote what she could. This was the only way, she thought, that she could account for what was her life now.

She was very deep in thought on one particular memory that had come more clearly than the others when she jumped at a loud bang. Max was home early. This sent Chloe into panic mode as she quickly locked the bathroom door and turned on the shower water. This would provide Chloe with enough time to dispose of the bottles and hide her journal. It didn't take long before Max was knocking on the door

" Chloe are you in there?"

Chloe splashed some water around " I will be out in a few just taking a shower" she hurried to throw her clothes off and jump in.

" What was that noise?" More pounding came from the door. "Why is the door locked let me in!"

Chloe's heart was racing as she tried in earnest to make it look as though she had been showering for some time already.

" Chloe I am giving you till the count of 10 to open this god damn door."

Wrapping a towel around herself quickly she opened the door " Jesus what is wrong with you? I am just taking a shower."

"Why the hell was the door locked" Max said as she forcefully entered the bathroom.

The diary was secured inside a loose tile in the ceiling and the bottles had been thrown outside the window. She worked to calm her nerves she knew that if Max found out about the journal she would destroy it and rewind so that Chloe would forget completely.

"I .. I was scared while you were gone."

"Bullshit what the hell are you hiding." Chloe's knuckles turned white from holding on to the towel so hard.

" I swear nothing you know this isn't the safest hotel I didn't want anyone breaking in and finding me like this.."

Max had grabbed her arm and was holding on to her hard. Chloe winced but stood firm as Max looked at her as if studying her expression, seeking the truth. Finally, Max seemed to have calmed down and with her attitude changing slightly she opened her arms in a welcoming gesture and waited. Unsure on if her legs would give her away she took slow steps towards Max and into her arms. Choking back a cry Chloe was able to utter an apology for making her wait. She hated herself but was so scared of the consequences if she didn't.

Lately it had been almost a game to Max. Every fight, argument, or thing that did not go her way she could rewind. They traveled frequently to hotels that didn't do background checks and accepted cash only. Max was making money at casinos playing tables. It was easy for her to play out the night then rewind and know exactly what to gamble. They could only stay in an area for so long until they had to move in fear of creating more storms. So far they had been lucky in their adventure and only small strange disturbances had popped up. Lightning storms here and there, snow in the summer but nothing as devastating as what had happened before. Now Chloe felt as if Max was the storm. She was terrified of upsetting her ever growing temper. So afraid of not having a choice and worse at times she was afraid for her sanity. She knew Max's mind was feeling the strain of controlling time, but Chloe was as well. Both had been experiencing bloody noses, headaches that seemed to last for days, and blackouts that could last anywhere from 1 hour to 2 days. These "echoes" were getting worse and something needed to happen before it all came crashing down. Chloe knew it was either her.. or Max.

They were happy for a time…

364 days ago

24 hours had passed since they left Arcadia Bay. Max was now driving as Chloe was sleeping in the passenger's seat. Her legs sprawled up on the dashboard, her head back and mouth wide open. Even like that Max found her beautiful. With no care or regard of what direction they headed, the events that had transpired in this past week had made Max a new person. Chloe believed in her and she had saved her. All her life she was lost. She never had many friends, lacked drive and motivation, and was often lost in her own rivulets of fantasy rather than reality. Like any artist she was clinically hard on herself but when Chloe came back she felt strong and in control. It was the first time in her life that she felt purpose as well as love. It was true that neither her nor Chloe had talked yet about how they felt, all Max wanted to do was to love her. Max reached over and gingerly touched her hair. The blue color of her hair had begun to fade into a teal, greenish color and they were both dirty and in need of a rest. As her thumb brushed over her cheek Chloe's eyes slowly began to blink awake. Max quickly pulled her hand back on the steering wheel and looked over.

" You sleep ok? I was beginning to think you wouldn't come back to me" There was a long pause as Chloe rubbed her eyes and sat up.

Finally after an eternity Chloe looked over at Max and said plainly "I'm never leaving you, and you are never leaving me".

The weight of her statement made Max choke back, with no words left she could just look at her and smile. They had not kissed again since Chloe had dared her too but she wanted to. She had sacrificed an entire town to save her. Her feelings were at an all time high. Was that bad that all of those people had died and all she could think about was kissing Chloe? No. Max would not allow herself to think that way. Chloe was special she deserved to live and Max needed her. She resisted partially due to the sunken sadness that had formed in Chloe's eyes. She knew she was upset about everything that happened and didn't want to add more stress on her as it is. But yet the thought was gnawing at her. Max felt flushed and her heart was racing. She shifted her legs uncomfortably and only made it a half more mile before she couldn't take it anymore.

"Chloe… when you dared me to kiss you.. did you want me to?"

"I didn't think you would do it."

There was a long pause in the car and both of them stared forward.

"But I am happy you did" Chloe smiled at Max

"Do you.. love me Chloe?" Max looked sheepishly at Chloe.

"I always loved you…"

Pulling the truck on the side of the road, Max moved quickly to unbuckled her seat belt and grab Chloe near to her. She kissed her long and passionately before pulling away and looking at her. Chloe, who was still startled, stared at Max with wide eyes unsure of what had just happened.

" Max, I.."

Max wasted no time and kissed her again she didn't want to talk she just wanted to stay in this moment forever. Chloe had never really thought labeled herself before. It was true that her infatuations with Rachel were well known. Rachel showed Chloe kind gestures and for this Chloe felt indebted to her. But no one had ever shown her the loyalty and love that Max did. This time Chloe unbuckled her seat belt and climbed on top of her in the driver's seat. There was little room and the proximity of this woman near her was intoxicating. They kissed and held each other both grabbing on to the other exploring to find what they were both missing and fulfil what they both needed. Max, being inexperienced, had relied on what she felt in her heart. She didn't care at being the best, she cared about being with Chloe as close as she could. Besides she could always go back and try again…

When Chloe awoke it was just barely light out. They were in the back seat her legs trapped under Max. Max had her leg carelessly saddled over top of her. Although uncomfortable and sore, Chloe for the first time felt happy and thought to herself " _This can actually work_."

She left Max lay there for about 15 more minutes before she had to jump out to relieve herself. The air was cold and the seasons were changing. Chloe was in a beater and boxers and she finally let it sink in that they didn't have a lot of money or anywhere to stay. Crawling into the front seat, the road they were parked on was a ghost town. She baked with the last of her stash as Max slept. 2 hours had gone by when Chloe started to become restless and woke Max up. First with gentle kisses and nibbles on her ear lobe then getting annoyed she started shaking her.

"Max, come on, get up please" Chloe pulled her face toward her again and watched in horror as blood started running down her face.

"Max!" she screamed. Max's eyes shot open.

"Chloe! What's wrong"

"Your nose Max, what happened?.. Did you ..you did… why?"

Max started to cry as she wiped the blood off her face. " I didn't know how you would feel today. It was so sudden.. I .. I had never done anything like that in my life"

"How I would feel about what? About us?"

"Yes" Max choked out." I wanted to live that moment as much as I could until it would turn to shit again."

Chloe grabbed her shoulders and shook her " Don't you know I love you? How could you do something so stupid. You saved me… over and over.. more than I deserved .. more than.. " She trailed off and held Max until she felt better enough to keep going.

They drove in silence for over an hour until the gas tank was threatening to leave them stranded. Chloe pulled into the gas station and shoved a 20 through the window. While pumping she looked in at Max who was pale and sat slumped in the front seat. Chloe went back into the store and grabbed some necessities; 2 monsters, 2 snickers, a bag of fritos, and a box of oreos. She hopped in the front seat and threw the bag on Max's lap.

Startled, Max looked at her " What is all this?"

Chloe smirked " Just necessities"

The bag shuffled around " Chloe you are going to kill me with this crap".

Sure enough Max started to feel a lot better. She would not admit that she rewound 20 times in a row. It was exceeding her limits and Max knew they needed to drive far to avoid consequences. With a full tank, sugar, and caffeine pumping some life back into their veins they both drove the whole day. Feeling worn down and it now being dark again they decided to look for a hotel.

" I can't spend another night in this truck, I need a real bed"

Chloe looked over at Max " I don't think the truck was that bad and I certainly didn't hear you complaining. I also do not believe that you have never been with a girl"

Max couldn't help herself she started laughing hard and Chloe joined in. After a while Chloe looked up tear streaked face and huge grin "When we laugh like that Max, it feels like we were little kids again playing pirates in my backyard. I feel like I can do anything when I am with you."

Max gently kissed her on the cheek " Let's get the stuff and go inside"

As they packed up and headed into the hotel Chloe felt incredibly happy their first hours on the road were filled with uncertainty and doubt. But now it was different. Now she knew where she stood with Max and with everything. She was worried Max would hate her for having her choose like that. When they got inside she decided to count how much they had left. During the tornado people had abandoned post; everything was askew so Chloe took advantage of it. She looted every place she could and managed to gather $2,500.00. Since they had bought 3 tanks of gas and had been living off junk food they still had plenty left. The hotel was cheap and Max decided it was far enough away her slip up to do any real damage. What concerned her most was that where the oddities happened news was sure to follow. Her and Chloe said if they were going to do this that they weren't going back. They wanted new lives together and that meant people not recognizing them. Things were so hectic in Arcadia Bay that she knew they were safe for now. There was no way they would be able to assess everyone that was missing in that short of time. But Max didn't want to chance it. Tomorrow they would need to get disguises. For now they were assessing the room situation.

The room itself left little to be desired for. Stains on the carpets from previous tenants, wallpaper peeling, and 2 single beds apart from each other was their first picture of their new home. Chloe, of course, jumped right in messing up the place and making it her own while Max tip toed into the room refusing to take her shoes off. Max was still unpacking when Chloe put on her shoes and said "I'll be right back, they have popcorn and movies at the front desk"

When she got back Max had noticed that she had walked to the front desk wearing boxers a black beater with a skull on it and converse. She shook her head and laughed as Chloe juggled everything. She set the bowl of popcorn and dvds on the floor which made Max shiver thinking of the germs and proceeded to push the 2 beds together in front of the tv.

"What did you pick up?" Chloe smiled " You are never going to believe what they had".

Max knew that look Chloe gave when she was being extra deviant. After a couple minutes of Chloe not answering Max finally spoke up

" You dork what did you get?"

Chloe hopped on the bed and patted next to her coaxing Max to finally join her. The screen on the tv took a while to show a picture and they could hear the sound before they could actually see anything. Finally the main menu popped up " _Hot Dog Man and Friends_ ".

Max laughed as Chloe looked at her smiling " I know I am hella lame but… it was just the perfect thing to end this night with".

They laid cuddled eating popcorn until they both fell asleep with the low hum of the tv set and popcorn spilled all in the bed. It was perfect.

It was 4am and there was no light yet in the hotel room. The windows were painted with fog and light dew as the chill of fall was swinging into full affect. Max awoke to strange noises in the room. She sat up wiping the sleep away from her eye lids and looked around. It took a moment to adjust and as she scanned around the bed she began to feel uneasy. Her head was pounding and she couldn't tell where that shuffling was coming from. She got up and decided to go to the bathroom, shoes still on, she tip toed so not to wake Chloe. Splashing cold water in her face, she examined her features. Pulling down at her under eyes, it had only been a week and a half but she aged a decade. Her eyes had lost its luster and shine and deep circles told another story all together. Backing away from the mirror now she noticed something behind her.

She whirled around so fast she only caught a glimpse of a shadow moving.

Every way she turned the shadow seemed to be one step ahead until she looked outside the bathroom window past the gravel and pavement stood a figure. Under the lamp light, next to the road, she could make out what looked like…. It couldn't be.. _"_ _Max.."_ she thought _"_ _I am loosing it_ ".

Max rubbed her eyes harshly and when she looked back up, the figure was gone. Max thought she must have been dreaming. How could she have seen herself when she was awake. This Max looked different though. Her very features and expression silently chiding Max, looking upon her almost disappointed. When Max climbed back into bed she decided she was not going to tell Chloe. She had trouble falling back asleep but eventually drifted back into slumber.


End file.
